From his perch in the Hollywood Hills, Vimeo user Brian Townsend captures legal/illegal fireworks exploding across various L.A. hoods, from the Miracle Mile to the Marina. Props to the blog Los Angeles, I'm Yours for digging this one up:

A similarly mesmerizing time-lapse by Vimeo user Matt Devino shows the light show through a sliver of negative space between two structural landmarks downtown: The Anjac Fashion Building and 818 Santee.

Only downer is knowing that -- amid the rain of both city-sanctioned 'works and roman candles smuggled from Mexico -- the streets of South Los Angeles were popping off with a different kind of fire on Wednesday night.

We had one of the most violent Independence Days in recent memory: Nine shootings were reported within seven hours, leaving three dead and 11 injured. And when the LAPD tried to shut down a DIY light show in Watts, revelers allegedly threw rocks, bottles and live fireworks at the officers.

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